1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to tools useful in plumbing assembly, and more particularly to manually adjustable installation supports useful in aligning the throat of a sink macerator or garbage disposal subjacent the drain opening in the sink.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A food debris macerator, or garbage disposal, in current implementation comprises an electromechanical structure of some bulk and mass. While many improvements have made this device quite reliable, the complex nature of the mechanism and the frequency of its use and abuse make it an item of frequent attention. Most often this attention requires removal and replacement, or re-installation following repair, of the device to the underside of the sink drain opening, a task requiring manipulation of a fairly heavy and cumbersome article within the narrow and crowded confines of the cavity under the sink.
Various tools have been devised in the past that assist in this difficult task, most often taking the form of a threaded puller supported over the drain opening and extending through the drain fitting to suspend the macerator. Examples of such prior art devices can be found in the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,229 to Ricci, U.S. Pat. No. 5,177,853 to Herook and others. While suitable for the purposes intended support mechanisms of this nature typically deploy the adjustment elements of the tool on top of or inside the sink cavity while all the alignments are made within the cabinet under the sink. This distant adjustment facility of these prior art devices has rendered their use less than fully convenient.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the alignment task of a disposal installation entails several aspects, including the attachments of the disposal to the sink flange, the connection of electrical leads and also the connection of the various drain lines. These tasks are all effected within the narrow confines of the sink cabinet. A disposal support mechanism that is conveniently manipulated with one hand while the other elements are brought out for connection with the other is therefore extensively desired and it is one such support mechanism that is disclosed herein.